THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 7 - Right Foot First - Part 1

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

The Stargazer quickly worked up some speed. A few minutes passed before Will'ym let go of the receptor and opened his eyes, which were still vaguely glowing. Velda had been watching Will'ym operate the ship, but now she glanced out the front window and gasped. There was no sign of any other planets or even solar systems. All she could see was a swarm of points of light, presumably galaxies, all shooting past the sides of the bridge faster than she would have thought possible. She'd never seen anything like it.

"How long will you be able to power the Stargazer like that?" Velda asked Will'ym, following him around the bridge. The magical stream connecting him to the table could stretch across the room, but it looked strained.

"This ship is designed to use my magic flow very efficiently. I could likely power it for weeks if I had to."

Will'ym did a quick maneuver on a wall computer, then returned to the front of the ship and sat down in one of the chairs near the front. Kovas had gone back into his stone, but now it came back out and hovered in the chair next to him. Velda and Chalchiuitl sat in the next seats over.

It was overwhelming at first to be staring straight at the expanse of space. The Stargazer shot through space like a bullet, but in the far distance, galaxies were still visible without too much distortion. Though small, they were full of color. Velda thought to Cha, It's very peaceful out here.

Just as I like it, the vaya said placidly.

Kovas put its hands behind its head in a relaxed manner. "There is no need to talk only with Cha, Velda. The rest of us are here too, and I know from experience that Chalchiuitl is no natural conversationalist."

Velda turned bright red but said nothing. "Don't harass her, Kovas," Cha said sharply.

"Can you hear what I'm thinking too?" Velda asked Kov.

"No, of course not, but your eyes glow when you use the link," the vaya replied cleverly. "I would be a fool to not notice it." Velda narrowed her eyes and tried to face as much away from Kovas as best she could. "Hey," it said, "It is better for me to notice than someone else."

Will'ym rolled his eyes. "They might be a bit politer about it."

"They might also decide to punish one of you for hiding things like telepathy." Kovas put a hand to its chin thoughtfully. "That would be a shame. And I can still see you when you face away from me, Velda."

Will'ym gave Kovas a harsh look, then said to Velda, "You're welcome to go explore the ship while we fly. I'll find you once we get close to Khar'tohan. It'll be a few hours."

Velda nodded and stood up to leave. "Come on, Cha," she said, "Let's go see how big this place is."

"Send me a postcard," Kovas muttered, turning its attention back to Will'ym. "So how is flying going? Are you tired yet?"

Velda took that opportunity to leave the bridge. She set an easy pace down the hallway, but the pure silence made her feel uncomfortable. Finally, she asked, "Cha, how did you deal with Kovas for so long?"

"It is simply in its nature to be that way. It is named after a human god of war, you know, and rightfully so. Do not worry about it, Kovas can be very resourceful. You just have to get past the words."

"You make it sound so easy," Velda grumbled, looking ahead of them at the intersection they had reached. On each side was a set of stairs like the ones next to the bridge doors, one going up and one going down. Velda knew that her room was only a little farther past these stairs, but decided to go up, just to see what else was on the ship.